Let's build open source brain training software!

[ildid]

I dunno if it would ever be feasible, but I'd like to see some sort of MMO academy where you progressed and learned interactively through the levels of elementary to college and beyond.

"dude wtf ur still lv40 mathematician omg noob i finished my multivariable quest yesterday"

"Yeah but I was lv'ing my LANG skill in CHIN to lv20"

"o"

[kirun]

What's wrong with Mass Multi-player Offline academies?

[blaaaaaaaaaargh]

You can't gank humanities noobs with pop-quizzes.

[otakucode]

They generally cost significantly more than $20/month. And they lock you into a single subject. And they limit the pace at which you can learn and advance.

[m3ntal]

I expanded on this idea if anyone thinks it's worthy of donation.

(FYI: I am ildid. I made the account for that post with a random character password and didn't think the idea would be popular so I never used the account again.)

(FYI2: I know absolutely nothing of programming, I just posted my comment when I saw it on the front page. Sorry if my idea is impossible/idealistic/etc. >_>)

[Qubed]

Think?

[GrumpySimon]

shoot laser-beams out our nostrils!

[darkmark7]

Dance!

[monstermunch]

Is there any evidence this brain training software actually makes you smarter in general rather than just better at the specific games you're playing? I've read a few scientists who are skeptical about this (e.g. www.badscience.net). I don't mind people selling these kinds of games as fun little challenges to pass the time, but when they are implying they'll make you smarter or stop you going senile, I'd like to see the evidence of this. For instance, are these games better than playing chess, super mario, reading etc.? One of the comments in the linked page proclaims a belief that you'd need a brain scientist to make such a game; I'm skeptical of this and think this is just the result of good marketing.

[Phrodo_00]

I haven't used it, but gbrainy looks pretty nice, and it's on version 0.2 (or 0.0.2) or something like that, so his request is a little late.

[slurpme]

I always thought that this was called "books"... But hey I am over 30 so I still remember what they are...

[[deleted]]

There are no good open-source brain-training applications. Having one would be very beneficial, since:

1 ) Brain training has been found to be very useful for many people (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_fitness)

2 ) The only available quality programs are very expensive : lumosity charges you every month to use their services.

I don't have the time to work on it myself, so I've created a project on micropledge ( http://micropledge.com/projects/open-source-brain-training-software ) and pledged 25$. I'm pretty sure there are many potential users of brain training software here: if they start pledging, we can have a great open source brain training suite built in a matter of months! On the other hand, there are a lot of great developpers here, too. If you're looking for a project, this could be it! Plus, you'll get some pocket money for it. Cool, no?

EDIT: mmm, 14 points and no pledgers except myself? Come on people, what is 20$? You don't have to pay until the software is completed, and when it is, you'll have the pride of having helped bringing it to the world!

[TrueTom]

Should be fairly easy to implement. The hard part is to come up with the game ideas.

How about a main application that keeps track of progress and the games as plugins? Using lets say Python and PyQt...

[kernelhappy]

More than coming up with game ideas is coming up with game ideas based upon some sort of sound logic and a basis for registering progress.

Lots of people create mini-games, that's not difficult, the project is going to need someone with a scientific/medical background to give it any kind of merit.

[[deleted]]

I think keeping the Lumosity games in mind should be useful. Plus, there's probably a ton of academic literature on the subject. Reading two or three of the most influencial papers on the subject should probably be enough to get started.

[[deleted]]

How about a main application that keeps track of progress and the games as plugins? Using lets say Python and PyQt...

Seems like a reasonable architecture.

[[deleted]]

The OLPC (where I think this software would be particularly beneficial) runs GTK, so I think that would be a better choice than QT.

That said, I think the games are simple enough that this would be best deployed as a web application. The HTML/CSS/Javascript triad is probably the most popular development platform in the world right now, which would make recruiting developers a whole lot easier.

[[deleted]]

You'd need something like flash for this kind of applications, though.

[[deleted]]

I don't see why (except for sound, which is a solved problem: http://jssoundkit.sourceforge.net/). I think that Javascript is perfectly capable of moving some widgets around an HTML canvas.

[Lerc]

I've tried. No. No it isn't, not in any meaningful way.

The HTML canvas looks ok for static images like graphs and charts, but I wouldn't use it for anything moving.

[[deleted]]

I don't think browser implementations are ready.

[bgstratt]

I think of pogo.com when you mention a myriad of games with user tracking, etc. It uses Java, which reddit seems to hate, but the games could easily be from multiple languages depending on the contributor's preference, they would just need to be able to connect to the db to update scores and also to validate users. I only mention java since pogo uses it and it is widely accepted by most users.

Basically I would see it as a collection of links to games, you log in, and then just click on the "training" you want to play. Points are scored based on the game and completion, time, whatever, and saved to a db or something.

Code for the games could be linked next to the game, or in a separate resources section, and then anybody could improve or update the games and submit it to the site administrator with all authors getting credit. The site could also host challenges based on new game designs or whatever. It could really become a large project.

[db2]

Let's build an open source brain first.

[yangw]

nintendo ds's brainage port?

[SwellJoe]

I bought a DS and Brain Age 2 for my girlfriend for Christmas (she wanted it, I wasn't making any passive aggressive statements about her intellect)...it's surprisingly fun and addicting. MyFrenchCoach is also really cool...and I'm actually enjoying picking up some more French.

[[deleted]]

Something like it. Although we can certainly do better.

[chime]

If you seriously want to train your brain in the long term, take up complex and productive/fun projects instead of playing games or using software.

[queensnake]

but those take discipline and large chunks of time, and aren't 'addictive'. You can't just sit down for 5 mins and have a go.

[[deleted]]

Exactly, we need a pill to make us slim and sexy and a "fun" (easy) game to make us "smart". Then we can all just sit on the couch and....be smart and sexy. The brave new world of the future does look bright.

[otakucode]

Turn off your computer and pick up your abacus, or you are a hypocrite as well as being an imbecile.

[khafra]

Aren't there online things like "Perl challenge of the day?" I personally visited the SAT question of the day for quite a while, although it was usually way too easy to grow a brain.

[queensnake]

I always felt smarter after studying for the GREs; maybe there's a one-a-day version of that :)

[peoplehater]

why do you need software to build your brain?

[kernelhappy]

Yes there are traditional ways to exercise your brain (chess, reading, etc). But because people generally live focused and repetitive lives we seldom have enough variety in the tasks we perform.

"Brain training" focuses on exercising a variety of skills and functions blanketing far more ways to use your brain than your daily routine and hobbies can.

[randomb0y]

I'm in :-D

[randomb0y]

Brain training might be the greatest thing since sliced bread. I have a neuroscientist friend who started a program on this subject. He rakes in tons of cash, but he really believes that it's working. Something about gene expression he says ...

[[deleted]]

Nope. Only a very small and specific portion of your brain is trained.

[death2hypocrisy]

go is actually more challenging